Jumping toy



P. ESSER JUMPING TOY July 6 1926.

Filed August 16, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 6 1926.

P; ESSER JUMPING TOY 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 F iIed August 16, 1921 July 6 1926.

P. ESSER 1 JUMPING TOY Filed August 16, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented July 6, 1926.

UNITED STATES I 11,591,521 PATENT OFFICE.

PETER ESSER, OF CLIFTON, NEW JERSEY.

JUMPING TOY.

. v Application filed August 16, lflzli fi erial No. 492,876.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide atoy orplaything for. indoor or outdoor amusement, particularly for boys, that is replete with action from start to finish of its operation and which produces unexpected, sensational results in a novel manner.

Another purpose is to produce a toy illustrating the effect of the forces of grav1ty, and momentum as ac uired on an lnclined lane and various ot er simple physical aws, thereby being instructive as well as entertaining.

A furtherpurpose is to provide a toy capable of being played as agame, whereby certain parts are thrown w1th reater or less violence to a considerable he1g t and distance, the movement being adjustable in de ee. 1

hose and like objects are attained by the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a material part of this disclosure, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective .view of the preferred embodiment of the toy, illustrating its operation.

Figure 2 is a similar perspective view showing a modification of the same; the parts bein difi'erently positioned and the resultant e ect being shown in broken lines.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a further modified form of toy, indicatin another figure or moving art.

%i re 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectiona view of the vehicle shown in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a similar view of the moving parts shown in Figure 1 Figure '6 is a perspective new .of another modified form of toy showing end of the track with a vehicle and figure thereon in position to be hurled from the track.

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of Figure 6 looking from the opposite side.

Figure 8 is a side elevational view of the tracks as used in common with the different e imbodiments folded.

In these several drawings a track-way is show com rised of sections 15 and 16 joined y the inge 17, the joint, when the track is extended, being stiffened by a tongue 18 formed with one of the sections and engaging in a corresponding recess in the other.

This track-way, when in use, is inclined, as best shown in Figure 2, by means of a support 19 secured to a plate 20 by a hinge 21, the plate being held when extended angularly by a sprin wire hook 22,. having its free end engagea Is in any-of the holes 23 in the edge of the support, thus permitting adjustment and also folding, as shown in Figure 8, so that the structure can be disposed compactly in a small space for storage or transportation.

Openings are made on the top side of the upper section 15 reoe tive of stafl's 24 carry ng flags, similar ag carrying stafis 25 being supported on columns 26 fixed in bases 27 resting on the level surface on which the toy operates.

These columns, which are disposed in front of the lower end of the track-way, are provided with a plurality of extending pins 28 adapted to support a rail 29 at different heights from the ound surface for a purpose further on disclosed.

Referring now to Figure 6, it will be seen that at the lower end of the track-way section 16 the rails end at about the junction of aplate 30 which forms a terminus and is provided with a stepped cross bar 31 at its extreme end.

Mounted midwa on the plate and extending across nearly is a helical torslon spring 32, its ends passing loosely through wire hasps 33 driven into the plate, and being bent to form a 100 34.

ngageable with this loop is a catch 35 pivoted on a pin 36 and connected at its lower end by a link 37 with a trigger lever 38 ivoted on the screw 39.

us the normal position of the loop 34 is that of resting on the bar 31, as seen in Figures 1 and 8, but which can be moved to a reverse position and held in tension bythe catch 35.

Obviously when the trigger 38 is moved forward, the loop will spring into its normal position and in so doing describe a circle of which the spring 32 is the axis as well as the actuating force.

The figure toy on the track-way as shown in Figures 6 and 7 represent a hand car comprised of a frame 40 mounted on a single central front wheel 41 and a pair of like wheels 42 suited to the rails of the trackway and to pass freely down upon the same rom one side to the other The rear wheels are fixed upon an axle 43, one end of which is bent to form a crank 44 connected with one of the legs 45 of a figure 46 representing the car operator, the other leg 47 bein connected by a link 48 to the figure, its foot being secured on the top of the car as shown.

The arms 49 of the figure are pivoted to it and fixed at their extremities to a post 50 rising from the car.

Thus as the car advances, the figure assumes various positions simulative of an operator, rising and falling, due to the crank action.

In the side of the car frame 40 are several openings 51 in any of which may be engaged a removable stop pin 52, this pm being adapted to engage the trigger 38, and due to the acquired momentum of the car structure in passing down the incline, strike with such force as to release the spring actuated loop, throwing the car upward and forward.

If the rail 29 be properly positlonedthe car will be catapulted over it and the height the car will rise is largely dependent upon the location of the stop 52, this stop determining the distance the car will pass over the loop before it is released and hence the are through which it will be thrown.

In the modification shown in Figure 2, the plate 30 is either removed or covered to present a fiat surface 53 over which any of the several movable figures as indicated at 54, 55 and 56 may pass without interruption, and continuing straight along a level surface to make contact with a fixed wall, as 57.

The results attained are indicated in the broken linesin Figure 2, similar results being shown in Figure 1, the same being produced directly by the mechanism itself.

In this case, at a point above the spring loop 34, a fixed stop 58 is secured centrally in the track-way, this stop presenting an eye adapted to receive a knob as 59 extend ing out from the front end of the figure toys 54, 55 and 56, the detailed construction of which is best seen in Figures 4 and 5.

Before describing these it may be noted that the toys 54 and 56 are alike in their construction and operations, although somewhat dissimilar in appearance, 54 representing a truck bearing a doll 60 carrying a vaulting pole 61 upon its hinged cover, and 56 having a doll 62 leaning upon an oar 63.

The pole or oar may be positioned in any of the several indentations 64 in the covers and the feet 65 of either of the dolls are drilled to loosely rest upon guide pins 66 fixed in the stationary covers 67, to which are connected the movable covers 68 by hinges 69.

Disposed on the bottom of the wheeled toys 55 and 54 (see Figures 4 and 5) are springs 70 formed with extending loops 71, engageable with detents 72 pivoted as at 73, the lower end of the detent levers being engaged by rods 74 supported in such manner as to extend outward at the front and carrying the knobs 59.

From the foregoing it will be seen that when the knobs 59 make contact with the stops 58, the springs are released, causing the loops to forcibly strike the lower side of the hinged cover element and hurl the figures 60 or 62 violently upward and forward, their movement in the air being measurably controlled by the position of the staffs 61 and 63 in a manner Well understood, the figures assuming positions indicated n Figure 1 of the drawings.

Thus it will be seen that the figures are caused to clear the pins 66 and apparently bound over the pole 29, which can be sent at different heights relative to the angularity of the staffs in their end seats 64.

In Figures 2 and 4 the toy 55 is provided with a similar arrangement for raising the doll 75, the same being loosely seated on the cover 68, together with other objects of miscellaneous character, as the barrel 76, boxes 7 7 and can 78, these articles being thrown promiscuously, by the spring upon operative gontact being made with the knob 59 carried Although the foregoing is descriptive of the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent that minor changes ma be made in its construction, without the exercise of invention or conflicting with the scope of the claims hereto appended.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A toy comprising an inclined trackway composed of hingedly engaged sections capable of being folded, a support hinged to the lower side of the highest section to fold thereagainst, said support having series of openings in one of its edges, a spring detent on said highest section to engage in any of the mentioned openings whereby the operative height of the hi hest section may be modified, a car movab le by gravity on said trackway, stop posts movably engaged in the upper surface of the highest section at the outer end thereof, a sectional cover for said car, the rear section being hinged to fold towards the front, the front section containing a row of indentations, a figure loosely disposed on the hinged rear section, a staff carried by said figure to rest in any of the mentioned indentations, a spring in said car adapted to violently raise the rear cover section when released, and means for releasing the spring upon contact by the car with an obstruction.

2. A toy comprising an inclined trackway, means for adjusting the inclination of said trackway, a car movable thereover by gravity, a cover hingedly engaged on said car, an object loosely carried on said car, a torsional spring fixed in the body of said car, a detent for retaining said spring, means for releasing said spring upon collision with an abutment, said spring when released acting as a catapult to throw said object free of the cover and means associated with said object to modify the motion imparted thereto.

3. A toy comprising an inclined trackway, a car movable thereover by gravity, a cover hingedly engaged on said car, a movable object loosely mounted on said hinged cover, a staff partially supporting said object, means for adjusting t e angularity of said staflf, a catapulting means in said car adapted to strike said cover, and means for releasing said catapulting means upon contact with a rigid object.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this application.

PETER ESSER. 

